Breathe
by petiteneko
Summary: As he stopped breathing, my world stopped spinning.


Warnings: Death-aspects, ANGST FUCKING ANGST! fluff between two guys suggested to be Link and Sheik - which they are. Navi - a good Navi though.

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><p>He was wet. He wasn't moving. He was cold. He. Wasn't. Breathing.<p>

"No!" A shout echoed into the still air. Feet splashed the water as a man approached the unconscious one. "No! You can't be!" His body was shaking, it was tensing. "I need you! We need you! Com'on! Don't do this!" Fists were slammed into the soft, sandy soil in anger. "You **can't** be dead!"

"Well if you don't do something **now** he will be! He only just stopped breathing!" A frantic fairy flailed about. "Do something! **Please!**"

"There's still a…" The sentence wasn't finished as the man went to work. First he laid the unconscious man flat on his back; next he tilted the other's head back and opened the airways. A mask was pulled down before a pair of lips joined and air was pushed out of one set to enter the other. Again, again, and again.

There was no pulse.

The man's body shook in despair but he wouldn't give up. His hands folded together and pushed down on the other's chest. It was steady yet frantic, controlled yet desperate. "You can't die, you can't…" The words were whispered past slender lips. "Live!"

Not even the crickets were chirping, or the gulls cawing. It was dead silent save for the _swoosh_ of breath leaving one pair of lungs into another, the steady _thump, thump_ of hands artificially moving a sternum. Even the fairy silenced her wings – she could only watch in horror at the struggle for life between her master and his friend.

"Breathe dammit, breathe!" The words were fraught with emotion and paranoia, cracking, shaking, heightening. "Why won't you breathe! Damn the Three!"

He wouldn't give up – no not until there was absolute proof that the other was dead. "**Please!**" He pleaded to both the heavens and the man beneath him before joining their lips again and pushed more air into the still lungs. "Move! Respond!" He ordered as his hands forced the frozen chest to move. "Don't die! Don't you die on me! Not after everything!"

The small fae flew up to grab hold of the desperate arms. "We… we're too late…" She whispered and shook her head. "He's… he's…"

"No…" He denied and shook the fairy off of his arms. "I need to keep trying! I can't give up!" His hands moved one more to check the pulse but there still no response. "Com'on I know you can do this! Breathe!" A few more solid and quick breaths, more artificial heartbeats, **anything** to keep him alive, **anything** to keep the hope from dying. He wouldn't let those shining eyes fade, that laughter be muted, that intelligent mind stop, the golden locks fade, he **wouldn't** let his friend, his companion, his world **die.**

"Stop it! Don't make him suffer more than he has to!" She shrieked, tugging on the hand that was potentially doing more harm than help anymore. "He's dead! He's dead!" There was a wet _pit_ followed by a _pat_ as small tears fell from her eyes and landed on the man's skin.

"No!" His head rapidly turned from left to right. "He can't be! Just once more… just once more…" He pleaded and the fae nodded. His breath caressed the blue-tinged lips. "_Please._" He whispered before giving one last breath of life. _Live!_

But there was no reaction, no cough, no attempt to intake that air and exhale it. The man hung his head in defeat. He was lost… he was really…

Was that a moan?

His hands almost flew to the other's neck and he could feel it – it was faint but it was still there – the distinct _thump, thump_ of a pulse.

"He's…" The man said with joy, relief, and even disbelief as he watched their chest slowly rise and fall on their own volition. He was careful as he moved his friend's body onto its side and rearranged his limbs in the best position possible.

"Nnm—Ahk!" The man mumbled before he coughed up water. "…k is that you?"

"Yes, it's me. Don't talk. Just breathe."

"'urts…" He complained with a soft chuckle that turned into more water.

"Shhh." The rescuer said and placed his finger onto the other's lips. "It's going to hurt – you almost… died." Sorrow replaced the happiness on the other's face.

The silence was solemn, and even the fae didn't dare to speak. She just sat on one man's shoulder, watching as the other slowly recovered – coughing, breathing, _shivering._

"Navi, he needs a blanket. One of our packs should have one." The man whose shoulder she sat on commented before standing up. "Get one for him – I'll look for sticks for a fire and keep an eye on him."

"Um… shouldn't we remove his uhh…" Navi's aura turned a reddish hue, "wet clothes first?"

"Right, get the blanket, I'll remove his clothes and then search for wood."

"I can…" The one lying on the ground tried, only to cough up more water.

"No you can't, and no you won't." The words were said in a strict yet caring manner. "Just concentrate on breathing and clearing your lungs." As he spoke, he knelt down and was careful in removing the clingy, wet fabric. "By the Three… you're freezing."

When Navi returned with the blanket he wasted no time in laying it over the other's body. "Don't fall asleep on me… Navi can you keep him awake?"

"Leave it to me." Normally the fae would have chippered with those words, but this circumstance was far from cheerful. On the contrary it was dark and gloomy.

A few minutes later he returned and hastily started a fire – using the spark created by two blades. "Navi, how is he?"

"A little better, he's coughed up quite a bit of water."

A smile twitched to life on the man's face. "Good." He rummaged through two sets of bags – one that belonged to him and another set that was his friend's. He set out the wet articles of clothing to sit by the fire and to dry. "How is his temperature?"

Navi's light dimmed. "Not any better – I fear it may be getting worse."

"Damn." That smile faded and he glanced into the drooping eyes of his friend and grabbed out another blanket along with two cloaks before he faced the fire – and away from his companion. Then he proceeded to remove his own clothes, laid out one blanket before the fire and covered himself with the other cloths.

"What are you doing!" The fae exclaimed.

"He needs to get warmer – and the fastest way is to share my body heat." There was no hesitation in his actions as he moved his groggy friend onto the blanket by the fire and then covering them with the other blanket and cloaks.

"…k? Why're you…"

"Shh… just breathe, just _live._ Oh and don't fall asleep."

"But I'm…"

"I know you're exhausted and mentally drained but you can't sleep. I can't risk losing you again…"

"Nmnmm…" He responded and a shudder travelled the length of his body. "...k, thank you." There was still a drowsy slur to his words.

The other pulled his companion closer – whether it was in response to the words or the shudders was only known by him. "I only did what anybody else would do…" He whispered as he tried to dismiss is actions. He almost seemed embarrassed or humble.

"You'd be surprised…" The reply was just as quiet. "I'm actually rather alone… if you weren't here…"

"But now you won't. I'll make sure of it." He said and began to rub his hands along the length of the other's arm – starting slow at first. "I'll make sure you don't freeze, that you don't stop breathing, that you don't fall asleep."

The colder, weaker one could only sink into the other's embrace to regain his lost heat. He could not fight it – if that was what he desired. "…k, what would you have done if I had actually…"

He was quiet for a few moments as the solemn expression fell even further. "In all honesty, I don't know… You're… you're…"

There was yet another silence, and just as the saviour was about to question his friend's lack of response, there was one. It was hopeful, it was almost pleading, and it could barely be heard even in the deathly silence that pervaded the night. "Somebody important?"

There was a chuckle – a laughter almost – but it was not dry. "No, not just that. You're my world, and I'll fight tooth and nail to save it." He said before kissing the top of his beloved's head. "But no more talking – just breathe."

An exhale of breath was the only response.

_Who ever thought a sigh would make the world spin once more?_

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><p><em>AN: Note I have kept the characters anonymous for the main fact that Sheik saving Link has it's own charm, but Link saving Sheik has the same amount of pull. You can pick whoever you want to do what!_

Also, this was based off of a reddit post of a picture of a cat "CPR"-ing a human entitled "Breathe, dammit!"


End file.
